House Republican Press Release

April 25, 2006

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Rep. Rowe Proposes to Ease Impact of Affordable Housing Law

State Rep. T.R. Rowe, R-123^rd, Trumbull, has co-sponsored and argued in support of  a proposal to exempt municipalities from the affordable housing law once it reaches a threshold of five percent of all housing units being affordable. The current threshold is 10 percent, which he said is nearly impossible to achieve. Reducing the number to five percent would make the goal realistic.

Rep. Rowe also supported a revision to the state so-called affordable housing law that would address problems of developers trying to force high-density housing on local municipalities.

Rep. Rowe voted for an amendment that would create affordable housing screening committees to work out differences between towns and developers who file applications to build under the provisions of the affordable housing law. Rep. Rowe noted that the current law allows developers to disregard local zoning ordinances, to build high-density housing, most of which is unaffordable.

“This provision would require, as soon as a developer files an ‘affordable housing’ application, that a committee mostly of local officials would be formed to iron out difference with the developer.”

He added, “The underlying law needs to be repealed, because it does not promote housing that is truly affordable, and can decimate neighborhoods with high-density, zone-busting development. Unfortunately, the political reality is that the votes are not there yet in the state legislature.”

“This is a modest step which would make a small tool available when a developer comes in with a high-density housing proposal.”

Both proposals were defeated, in party-line votes.

Rep. Rowe and other local legislators have proposed in recent years to repeal or reform the law.